Matthew 18:1-35
OFFENDING THE LITTLE ONES. THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT 1-14. Ambition reproved, and humility taught by the example of a little child (Mark 9:33; Luke 9:46).... [ Continue Reading ]
OFFENDING THE LITTLE ONES. THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT 1-14. Ambition reproved, and humility taught by the example of a little child (Mark 9:33; Luke 9:46).... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO IS THE GREATEST?] RV 'Who then is greatest?' The 'then'is explained from St. Mark's statement that on the way to Capernaum the disciples had been disputing who was the greatest. The Transfiguration had revived the hopes of the three leading apostles that the Kingdom of Christ was about to be est... [ Continue Reading ]
A LITTLE CHILD] Perhaps, as He was in Peter's house, one of Peter's children. Tradition, however, says that it was Ignatius, the martyr, afterwards bishop of Antioch.... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT YE BE CONVERTED] RV 'Except ye turn.' A sharp rebuke. The disciples were disputing their rank and precedence in the Kingdom. Jesus denies that they are in it at all. They have turned their backs on it altogether. Only by reversing their course and embracing humility, can they hope even to ent... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL HUMBLE HIMSELF AS THIS LITTLE CHILD] A little child has no pride, knows nothing of worldly rank or position, and is simple, teachable, and loving. In using such an objectlesson, Jesus showed His greatness as a teacher. According to St. Mark, He took the little child in His arms to teach the le... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL RECEIVE] i.e. with affection, honour, and respect, and with the design of learning from them the special lesson, which they have to teach, viz. humility: cp. Matthew 10:40, where 'receiveth you' means 'receiveth your teaching.' ONE SUCH LITTLE CHILD] Not a literal child, but a childlike, humbl... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHOSO SHALL OFFEND (RV 'shall cause to stumble') ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES] i.e. whosoever shall bring about the ruin of the soul of a true believer, by depriving him of the childlike characteristics of humility and love. IT WERE BETTER FOR HIM] RV 'it is profitable for him.' Why better? Because... [ Continue Reading ]
WOE UNTO THE WORLD] Jesus has been dealing with 'offences,' i.e. temptations to sin, within the Church. He now applies the same principle to the world at large. It is in every case, He says, a greater sin to lead others into sin than to be led. There is a greater punishment, or 'woe,' for the tempte... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR ANGELS] Though the general ministry of angels to those who are heirs of salvation is generally assumed in the NT. (Hebrews 1:14, etc.), only this passage and Acts 12:15 teach that a special guardian angel is assigned to each individual. It is implied that the angels entrusted with this ministr... [ Continue Reading ]
The RV, following many ancient authorities, omits this v. It is, however, difficult to account for its insertion, if it is not genuine. It is certainly not inserted from Luke 19:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP, 'which is intended to show that it would be in direct opposition to God's desire for human salvation to lead astray one of those little ones, and to cause him to be lost, like a strayed sheep. Luke 15:4 records the same beautiful parable, though in a different connexion '... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THY BROTHER SHALL TRESPASS AGAINST THEE] so RV. Westcott and Hort, however, omit 'against thee,' considerably altering the sense of the passage, which then applies to sin in general. HAST GAINED THY BROTHER] viz. 'back to God, and to thyself.' While he was in his sin, he was lost to both.... [ Continue Reading ]
TREATMENT OF AN ERRING BROTHER (peculiar to St. Matthew). The connexion with what precedes is as follows: 'Despise not one of the “little ones” (Matthew 18:10); if, however, one “offends against thee,” then proceed thus.' The subject changes from that of doing injury to the 'little ones,' against wh... [ Continue Reading ]
TELL _it_ UNTO THE CHURCH] i.e. the Christian Church, as in Matthew 16:18, not the Jewish synagogue, as some have supposed. Jesus uses Jewish expressions, because those only were then intelligible, but He is plainly legislating for His own society. In dealing with offenders the Church is to use, (1)... [ Continue Reading ]
BIND.. LOOSE] see on Matthew 16:19. Here the binding and loosing refer specially to judicial decisions, which Jesus says will be ratified in heaven.... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAIN I SAY] Having promised the ratification in heaven of the judicial decisions of the Church, Jesus proceeds to say the same thing about the prayers of Christians. He lays stress on united prayer. The way to obtain a request, is to call in the aid of a Christian brother and to pray with him. Stil... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHERE TWO OR THREE] Christ proceeds to give the reason why God will grant such prayers. It is that He Himself, the great Intercessor, is personally present in every worshipful assembly of Christians, and presents their prayers to the Father. The passage applies to private prayer-meetings, but is... [ Continue Reading ]
SEVEN TIMES] Peter thought himself more than twice as liberal as the rabbis. Our Lord's reply (Matthew 18:22) teaches that there must be no limit to human pardon, as there is none to Gods: see on Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14 and cp. Luke 17:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
A CERTAIN KING] i.e. God. WHICH WOULD TAKE ACCOUNT] RV 'would make a reckoning with his servants.' 'We are the servants with whom He takes account. This account, as is plain, is not the final reckoning, but rather such as that of Luke 16:2. To this He brings us by the preaching of the law—by the set... [ Continue Reading ]
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT (peculiar to St. Matthew). The lesson is that, inasmuch as God has forgiven us the great and unpayable debt which as sinners we owe to Him, so we also must forgive our brethren the comparatively trifling debts which they have incurred by sinning against us. The parable concern... [ Continue Reading ]
TEN THOUSAND TALENTS] An enormous sum (£2,500,000 of our money, if the Attic silver talent of £240 is meant, and still more if the Hebrew silver talent of £410, or gold talent of £6,150, is meant), indicating the absolute impossibility of a man making atonement for his own sin. Only Christ Himself c... [ Continue Reading ]
TO BE SOLD] The Mosaic Law allowed the sale of a debtor with his wife and children, these being regarded as his property (Leviticus 25:39; 2 Kings 4:1), but the rabbis disapproved this severity, except in the case of a thief. The reference is to Gentile customs, probably to the Roman law. Spirituall... [ Continue Reading ]
WORSHIPPED] i.e. prostrated himself. I WILL PAY THEE ALL] a sign that his repentance was very superficial, as indeed his subsequent conduct showed. Yet the merciful God accepted even this imperfect repentance, hoping for better things in the future. 'The slave,' says Euthymius, 'asked not for full... [ Continue Reading ]
AN HUNDRED PENCE] (_denarii_), i.e. about £2 15s. _Od.,_ an insignificant sum, representing the trifling character of offences against man, compared with those against God.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE TORMENTORS] Torture was not a Jewish or Roman punishment for debtors, but it would naturally be applied by an Eastern despot to make the debtor disclose where he had hidden his treasures. TILL HE SHOULD PAY ALL THAT WAS DUE] 'i.e. (says St. Chrysostom) for ever; for he can never possibly pay... [ Continue Reading ]
See Matthew 6:15.... [ Continue Reading ]